Request for Information (RFI): Automated Handling System for the Triage, Imaging, Re-Labeling and Re-Arraying of Frozen Biological Samples in a -20°C Freezer Environment Notice Number: RFI-NCI-100073-TG Key Dates: Capability Statement Due Date: April 20, 2010 11:00 am Eastern Time Issued By: National Cancer Institute (NCI), Office of Acquisitions (OA) http://www.nci.nih.gov or http://rcb.cancer.gov/rcb-internet/ General Information: This Request for Information (RFI) is intended to provide source material for a state-of-the science summary of technology available for automated handling system for the triage, imaging, re-labeling and re-arraying of frozen biological samples in a -20°C freezer environment. It should not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the Federal Government, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the NCI. The NCI does not intend to award a cooperative agreement, grant, or contract on the basis of responses to this RFI or to otherwise pay for the preparation of any information submitted or for the Government's use of such information. Purpose: Based on the response to this RFI, the NCI may issue a solicitation at an undetermined time in the future or use the information to guide purchases of equipment, adaptation of specific methodologies or conduct specific methodological research. THERE IS NO SOLICITATION AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME, no basis for claims against NCI shall arise as a result of a response to this Request for Information notice or the NCI’s use of such information as either part of our evaluation process or in developing specifications for any subsequent requirement. This notice is for market research only. The NCI is specifically interested in determining the types of organizations available in the marketplace that provide these technologies. In particular, the NCI is seeking qualified small business concerns [including Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SDB), Woman-owned Small Businesses (WOSB), Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Small Businesses, Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (VOSB) and Service-Disabled Veteran-owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB) which provide these technologies. Based on the responses received from this announcement, an acquisition may be solicited as a Total Small Business Set-Aside. NAICS Code and Size Standard: In the event a Request for Quotation (RFQ) is issued, North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 423450 with a size standard of 100 employees is being considered. Background: The Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics (DCEG) stores approximately 12 million biospecimens collected in support of approximately 500 studies that have undertaken to understand the etiology of cancer. Over time, study specimens have been stored in a variety of locations in formats that are independent of material type, causing high labor rates when specimens are retrieved for testing. In addition, specimens collected longer than five to ten years ago may not have printed barcode labels. The Division is currently seeking a way to automate the process of ensuring that specimen containers are barcoded and are located together with other specimens from the same study and of the same material type. This effort must be taken at temperatures that allow the specimens to remain in a frozen state throughout the duration of this handling and reorganization. This effort would allow the repository to standardize the labeling scheme of samples that have been collected over several decades to a single format, array samples to a new physical location that maximizes available space, maximize relative sample locations to allow for greater efficiency in the manual pulling of samples for a study, update and correct the NCI’s tracking database and the physical characteristics of the destination boxes to allow for automated specimen retrieval at a later date. Information Requested: I. General Information – contact information, including name, institution / organization, telephone and fax numbers and e-mail address; website URL II. Equipment, software, and system capabilities requirements Information is sought regarding equipment, software, and system capabilities with the following characteristics salient to frozen sample handling within a -20°C walk-in freezer: The hardware must be capable of the following: 1.1) operating within a walk-in freezer with dimensions of 12’ 11” wide, 18’ 9” deep and 78” high. 1.2) operating at -20°C for a period of at least five (5) years with a duty cycle of at least fourteen (14) hours per day six (6) days per week, three hundred and sixty five days (365) days per year. 1.3) remaining at -20°C for at least five (5) years 1.4) requiring routine maintenance no more than once every 6 months 1.5) having preventative maintenance performed within the freezer at temperature 1.6) instant emergency shutdown via a RED button on the system 1.7) instant emergency shutdown via a RED button located outside of the freezer 1.8) hardware upgrades 1.9) an immediate shutdown when faced with an obstruction anywhere in the system 1.10) cooling its own electronics 1.11) field service accessibility with simple tools 1.12) having the box transport method fitting through the freezer door 1.13) being decontaminated and cleaned without destroying the finish of the surfaces 1.14) being assembled within the freezer 1.15) dismantled within the freezer 1.16) having the subsystems that make up the system fit through the freezer door 1.17) vision-defined motions 1.18) grasping/handling container in a variety of shapes and sizes, between small 1 dram vials to 3000ml collection bottles 1.19) grasping and lifting containers weighing from less than 1 ounce to 2kgs 1.20) detecting and tracking the delivery structure (e.g., cart) for the specimen’s arrival at the automated handling station 1.21) storing the coordinates of box locations within the transport method through the transport’s connection to the system. The software controlling both the automation and the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) functions must be capable of the following: 2.1) initiating communications using commonly used internet communication ports to outside computer systems 2.2) running a decision tree within the operating software of the system to handle variations in responses to “if-then” statements 2.3) adding to the software’s decision tree by the customer 2.4) transmitting digital images of the container labels across the network lines 2.5) storing/displaying and retrieving images at a controlling workstation located at room temperature outside of the freezer 2.6) being accessed and controlled by a workstation located remotely in the same building. 2.7) being accessed by a workstation located outside of the NIH firewall for vendor access 2.8) software upgrades 2.9) reporting temperature data 2.10) reporting an action log 2.11) reporting errors 2.12) error handling 2.13) reporting system fluid leaks 2.14) reporting system pneumatic leaks 2.15) storing and retrieving history records on each container accessed 2.16) functioning through a well documented user interface. Operationally, the system must be capable of the following: 3.1) receiving and processing at least 3500 frozen samples per fourteen (14) hour shift. 3.2) receiving 3500 samples within no more than 2 “shipments” or transport capacities per day. 3.3) performing the operations identified below with no human intervention: a. pick box from a group of delivered boxes on a transport cart b. pick up each container from within the box and process one at a time c. scan the container for a 2D barcode label d. image the container’s current label e. store scanned image f. perform Optical Character Recognition (OCR) on the label image g. remove the container’s current label from the container after imaging the label h. dispose of the removed label i. print a label with a human readable identifier and a1D or 2D barcode that can be read by CodeReader ® scanners j. apply the new label to the frozen container k. pick up the labeled container and place into a new box l. record new box location for the labeled container m. place new boxes on a transport cart for transferring out of the walk-in freezer 3.4) grasping/handling containers in a random access manner 3.5) arraying the barcoded container to a specific box location 3.6) operating without affecting the freezer’s temperature control 3.7) a vision-guided picking of containers regardless of container orientation 3.8) coordinate location picking of sample containers from a storage box 3.9) operating at room temperature 3.10) operating at -20°C with a Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) of at least nine (9) months 3.11) shutting down and sending an error message in the event the system begins to draw more power than normal, within a defined range 3.12) operating without the use of a sleeve or blanket on any part of the system 3.13) operating without the need for hearing protection by human operators/sample loaders 3.14) decontaminated and cleaned without destroying the functionality of the system Additional comments relevant to this RFI, and addressing issues that are not specifically mentioned above, are also encouraged. How to Submit a Response: Interested qualified small business organizations should submit a tailored capability statement for this requirement not to exceed 10 single sided pages including all attachments, resumes, charts, etc. (single space, 12 point font minimum) that clearly details the ability to perform the aspects of the notice described above. Brevity and structured format (such as bulleted items) are encouraged whenever applicable to aid in processing. All proprietary information should be marked as such. Statements should also include an indication of current certified small business status; this indication should be clearly marked on the first page of your capability statement (preferably placed under the eligible small business concern’s name and address). Responses will be reviewed only by NCI personnel and will be held in a confidential manner. Due Date: Capability statements are due no later than April 20, 2010 11:00 am Eastern Time Number of Copies and Delivery Point: Please submit one (1) original and three (3) copies of your response as follows: If using delivery service or U.S. Postal Service Terry Galloway, Contract Specialist 6120 Executive Blvd., Room 6068 Rockville, MD 20852 All information furnished must be in writing and must contain sufficient detail to allow the NCI to determine if it can meet the unique specifications described herein. All questions must be in writing and can be faxed (301) 402-4513 or emailed to Terry Galloway, Contract Specialist, at
[email protected]. A determination by the Government not to compete this requirement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. In order to receive an award, contractors must have valid registration and certification in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) www.ccr.gov and the Online Representations and Certifications Applications (ORCA), http://orca.bpn.gov. No collect calls will be accepted. Please reference number RFI-NCI-100073-TG on all correspondence.